Hold your hats, Keep your seats!

The Thunderbolt at Kennywood Park

I am not a thrill seeker. Quite the opposite, in fact. But I do love roller coasters (well, at least some of them!). Unfortunately, due to some minor health issues, it doesn't look like I'll be riding any roller coasters any time soon. But it won't stop me from my fond memories of riding The Thunderbolt at Kennywood Park or The Beast at King's Island in Ohio. There are many other rides to enjoy at an amusement park, but it just isn't the same without riding at least one roller coaster.

Switchback Railway at Coney Island Park

The first roller coaster designed for an amusement park was the Switchback Railway at Coney Island in 1884 (some sources say June 16, while others say June 13). It was mild compared to today's coasters. The Switchback consisted of two tracks that ran in opposite directions. Passengers would climb to the top of one tower and ride the car 600 feet down the beach, where they would get out and climb another tower to ride back in the other direction. Oftentimes, passengers would have to help push the car to the top of the tower! Nevertheless, our love of roller coasters would never be the same again.

Ice Slides in Russia, 16th century

The history of roller coasters goes back much further than 1884 though. In the 16th century, during the reign of Catherine the Great of Russia, ice slides were built that took riders down hills on sleds with runners. This was very popular, but Catherine wanted to be able to go on these rides in the summertime as well. And since she was Empress, she got sleds that were built with wheels.

And what about today? What roller coaster is America's favorite in the twenty first century? If you search the internet, you will get many answers to that question based on different criteria. Some people like wooden coasters, others will only ride steel. There is a list for for every taste.

So here are five that seem to pop up the most often on those lists.

-- Bizarro (Six Flags New England) - This coaster has 5,400 feet of track and starts things off with a 221 foot drop into an underground tunnel. Bizarro is over 3 minutes of non-stop fun!

-- El Toro (Six Flags Great Adventure) - This ride, one of the tallest and fastest wooden coasters in the world, has a 176 foot drop at a 76 degree angle. El Toro was voted the #1 Wooden Coaster in the World by the 2011 Internet Coaster Poll.

-- Millennium Force (Cedar Point) - At one time this was the fastest and fastest coaster in the world. And just because it's been surpassed, don't think you'll be getting off easy. This two minute ride features a 300 foot drop from the first hill with speeds reaching over 90 mph.

-- Nitro (Six Flags Great Adventure) - The first hill of this steel coaster is a whopping 233 feet. They say you can see Philadelphia (almost 50 miles away) from the top of that hill! The ride hits 80 mph on the second hill and there is no looking back after that.

-- The Voyage (Holiday World) - Voted best wooden roller coaster by Time magazine in 2013, this 1.2 mile ride has three 90 degree banks and of any wooden coaster in the world.



--Post by Tracy